Motto of the day: It’s my BIRTHDAY and I’ll eat as much CHOCOLATE as I WANT TO! If you hadn’t guessed it by now, today is indeed my birthday, and yes, I’m going to be eating a lot of chocolate. Actually, I initially made these cookies two days ago thinking they’d last till today (I was wrong). What can I say… we’re a chocolate-loving household.

If you’re reading this worried that I won’t get my sweet fix for the day, don’t fret! I have all the supplies to make another batch of these bad boys in my pantry later today 😉

Well well well… VALENTINE’S DAY has rolled around yet again and I’m left DATELESS… at least in the man sense. That’s okay! Luckily, I’m not actually DATE-less because I’ve got a HUGE vat of this super duper easy-to-make SIMPLE Date Caramel in my fridge.

It’s sweeter than any guy has ever been to me anyway! (Don’t worry, this statement speaks to the AMAZING-ness of this recipe, not to the low quality of the males in my life 😉 )

In the past two months I’ve started a new semester of college, gotten a BRAND NEW puppy, and started a food blog… needless to say I’ve been a bit short on time. In the spirit of laziness (hooray!), I bring to you today these NO BAKE Peanut Butter Power Cookies. Plus, as an added bonus, these cookies are free of any added sugars because they’re sweetened with fruit!

You know those dreaded words that you find when you’re in a rush… they usually go a lille something like: “Preheat your oven to ___ degrees ___”? …those ones? Yeah, you won’t find those here. Not with these peanut cookies!

I’ve been in a pea-nutty sort of mood lately, and I’m really not quite sure why. It could be because I keep calling my new puppy peanut (because she really is just a little peanut… look at her!). I’ve even gotten to making HER some peanut tasting treats, but they didn’t taste too great to me. I figured it was my turn to try something that might taste good to an actual human…

In my years on this Earth I cannot recall a single bad thing that I’ve encountered thats started with the sound “Mac.” Macaroni, Macbooks, Macintosh apples… heck, I can’t even recall ever meeting a Mackenzie I didn’t like!

Macaroons are certainly not an exception to my rule of “Mac.” I’ve LOVED coconut macaroons ever since I was a little girl, and I was a huge Samoa promoter in my Girl Scouts Troop. Last week I got a hankering for these bad boys, so I decided it was time to whip up a recipe!

Raise your hand if you grew up loving a giant, moist, bakery style muffin for breakfast! I’m currently raising a hand while typing this, if you’re wondering. Ever since I was little, I’ve enjoyed a nice, fresh muffin over a donut any day. Something about a moist bottom layer paired with an even better cloud of yumminess pillowing over the top really made my brain happy. As you can probably tell, my obsession continues to this very day 😉

My favorite muffins were always of the butterscotch and lemon variety, but I was feeling ~zesty~ and decided to tackle the lemon side of things first. Here I present you with a healthy, plant-based take on a moist, fluffy, and most importantly, satisfying muffin to fill the gaping, muffin-shaped hole in my heart.

I know, I know… claiming to make ANYTHING better than Grandma can get kind of dicey…especially something that’s vegan. But this time, I think it’s legit.

I got the inspiration to make these vegan cookies as I snacked on an Oatmeal-Raisin flavored Lenny & Larry protein cookie after a class where my stomach would NOT stop rumbling. The “cookie”, while satisfying, tasted like a glorified protein bar. Thus I began my journey to create a vegan/delicious/not-terribly-bad-for-you oatmeal cookie to fill my newfound craving. Boy, am I happy I came up with these!

These guys are suuuper chewy and a little bit soft on the inside, but the outsides add a PERFECT crunch. The key to the chewy interior but crispier exterior is taking them out of the oven when they’re a just a little underdone, and letting them finish baking on the baking sheet after they get taken out of the oven.

I challenge you to bite into one of these and feel literally any bad emotion in the world, because I seriously don’t think it’s possible.

Another perk of this recipe was that I didn’t even have to go to the grocery store! And, my sweet tooth completely satisfied after having one (…or two) of these, even though the ingredient list isn’t conducive to most guilty-pleasure type of treats.

I’m so happy these cookies are in my life, and I hope they get to become a part of yours as well!

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together sugars. Add applesauce and oil to sugar and whisk together until sugars are dissolved. Add flax egg and vanilla and whisk until well incorporated.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, oats, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add gradually into the other bowl and stir thoroughly until everything is mixed together. Add in dried fruit until it’s distributed evenly amongst the dough.

Scoop balls 1/4-1/3 of a cup big onto a Silpat-lined or parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in oven for 12-15 minutes, then remove from oven (they should look slightly raw in the middle but crispier on the outside). Let sit on baking sheet for AT LEAST 10 minutes before attempting to take them off. Enjoy!

Notes

*white flour will work as well

3.5.3229

Let me know if you make this, and tell me how you like it! Tag me on Instagram @cookwithcourt and #cookwithcourt

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